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Circadian Control of Inflammatory Processes in Atherosclerosis and Its Complications

Sabine Steffens1, Carla Winter2, Maximilian J Schloss2

  • 1From the Institute for Cardiovascular Prevention, Department of Medicine, Ludwig-Maximilians-University (LMU) Munich, Germany (S.S., C. Winter, M.J.S., A.H., C. Weber, O.S.); German Center for Cardiovascular Research (DZHK), partner site Munich Heart Alliance, Germany (S.S., C. Weber, O.S.); Fundación Centro Nacional de Investigaciones Cardiovasculares (CNIC), Madrid, Spain (A.H.); Cardiovascular Research Institute Maastricht (CARIM), Maastricht University, the Netherlands (C. Weber); and Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden (O.S.). sabine.steffens@med.uni-muenchen.de.

Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology
|April 29, 2017
PubMed

Insights

Cardiovascular functions exhibit daily rhythms influenced by internal clocks and external cues. Understanding the link between immune system circadian rhythms and cardiovascular disease is crucial for improving patient outcomes.

Area of Science:

  • Cardiovascular Physiology
  • Immunology
  • Chronobiology

Background:

  • Physiological cardiovascular functions display daily diurnal variations synchronized by molecular clocks and environmental cues.
  • Clinical cardiovascular disease manifestations, particularly in the early morning, correlate with circadian oscillations in hormones and leukocyte counts.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To summarize clinical data on diurnal oscillations of circulating inflammatory parameters.
  • To review experimental evidence on the role of circadian clocks in atherosclerosis, post-myocardial infarction inflammatory responses, and cardiac healing.

Main Methods:

  • Review of clinical data on diurnal variations in inflammatory parameters.
  • Summary of experimental evidence on circadian clock involvement in cardiovascular processes.

Main Results:

  • Circadian rhythms influence cardiovascular functions and disease incidence.
  • Immune function circadian rhythms are increasingly recognized as relevant to cardiovascular disease.

Conclusions:

  • Further research is needed to fully understand the relationship between immune circadian rhythms and cardiovascular disease progression.
  • Circadian clocks play a significant role in atherosclerosis, myocardial infarction recovery, and cardiac healing.

Keywords:
atherosclerosiscardiovascular diseasecircadian rhythmincidencemyocardial infarction

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